


Chances

by sgtcalhouns



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Angst and Feels, F/M, Getting Back Together, Implied Sexual Content, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22670518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtcalhouns/pseuds/sgtcalhouns
Summary: After things between Felix and Tamora end on uncertain terms, they learn that their situation is more nuanced than they thought.
Relationships: Tamora Calhoun/Fix-It Felix Jr., hero's cuties - Relationship
Kudos: 16





	Chances

“So the date with Pauline didn’t go so well, huh?” Ralph asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Felix answered with a shrug.

The pair were standing in the back of the room, sipping their drinks as they watched the festivities go on around them. Tonight was Mary’s birthday party, and by the look of it, the whole town had been invited.

“Well, either way, I’m glad you went,” Ralph said. “It’s good to see you getting back out there. It makes me feel like maybe you’re finally getting over—”

“Tamora,” Felix gasped.

“Exactly,” Ralph replied.

“No, look,” Felix said, pointing across the room. “It’s Tamora. She’s here.”

Sure enough, there she was, standing on the opposite side of the room. She looked stunning in a navy blue velvet dress that Felix knew well; he had taken her to many a formal outing in that dress. It was his favorite for many reasons, not the least of which was the way it hugged her curves. She looked just as good as he remembered, and his mind couldn’t help but wander to the way that soft fabric used to feel under his hands as she leaned in close to him on the dance floor. He would give anything to go back to those nights, but he knew that was impossible. It had been a year since she left him, a hard truth that he still struggled to accept.

“Okay, I know you’re gonna want to go over there and talk to her, but let’s think about this,” Ralph reasoned. “Are you sure you want—”

“I should go say hello,” Felix interrupted, having been so mesmerized by her presence that he hadn’t heard any of what Ralph had just said.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ralph asked. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do, but I feel like I should remind you how you felt when she left.”

“I know,” Felix said with a frown. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be polite. I can’t spend the whole night pretending she’s not here.”

“Looks like she’s here with someone,” Ralph pointed out.

Felix looked over and saw another man greet her with a kiss on the cheek. He placed his hand on her back, much lower than Felix ever would have dared in public.

“Are you okay?” Ralph asked.

“Of course,” Felix replied. “It’s been a long time. She has every right to move on.”

He took a deep breath and looked back at her. She did seem happy, and he supposed that was the most important thing. Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, she looked up and locked eyes with him. He froze in his place, unable to attempt a friendly wave or even a smile. She turned and said something to her date before crossing the room. It took a few seconds for Felix to realize that she was coming toward him, and he felt himself break into a sweat the moment the thought occurred to him. There was no time to prepare himself, to think of the right words to say. She was here in front of him now, stunning him into silence.

“Felix,” she said.

There was a delay before he gulped and shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind of the haze she had brought upon it.

“Tam—Tamora,” he choked out. Not the conversation starter he had been hoping for, but at least he caught himself before using her old nickname. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I just wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.”

“I’m surprised I even got an invite,” Tamora replied.

“You shouldn’t be. Mary always liked you,” he said. “If it wasn’t for her, I might have never worked up the nerve to ask you out.”

Felix chuckled and Tamora offered a fond smile before they remembered the circumstances of their relationship. He tried his best to mask the grimace that had appeared on his face as he felt the instant regret of bringing up such a topic. He nodded toward the man she was with and changed the subject.

“So, who’s your date?”

“We met through a veteran group,” she said. She hesitated before finishing with what she knew would be a hard piece of news for Felix to hear. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Oh,” Felix replied, and although he went to great lengths to keep his tone upbeat and pleasant, Tamora could see the tension that formed in his shoulders. “How long have you been together?”

“A few months.”

It took everything in him to keep from visibly reacting to this news. A million thoughts ran through his mind as the bitter sting of jealousy grew in the pit of his stomach. He loathed this feeling; within seconds he had developed a hatred for this man he had never even met. There were countless questions he wanted to ask. How serious is it? Does he love you? Do you love _him_? Taking a deep breath, he shoved down these unpleasant emotions and asked the only question that really mattered.

“Does he make you happy?”

Tamora took a moment to ponder his query.

“He does.”

“Good,” he replied. “Then I’m happy for you.”

“What about you?” she asked. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“I tried a couple times, went on a few dates,” he said. “But nothin’ ever really panned out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” he said. “I don’t want to try and force anything to happen. I know how it feels when you’re with the right person, and I just haven’t felt that way since—”

He cut himself off as he realized where that sentence was going. There was no need to trouble her with his relationship problems; they were no longer hers to worry about. He buried his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat.

“Well, anyway, it’s good to see you,” he said in the hopes of steering the conversation in a more positive direction. 

“It’s good to see you, too,” she replied. “It’s been a long time.”

“That it has,” he said. 

His lips formed a thin line on his face as he recalled just why it had been so long since they had seen each other, and who had caused that separation. He rocked back and forth on his feet for a moment as he tried to keep his thoughts contained, but soon one question came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“Can I just ask you one thing?” he asked. “Why did you leave?”

Tamora was taken aback by his question.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter now, but that’s the one thing I’ve never really been able to let go of. I came home one day and you weren’t there, and that was it,” he said. “No explanation, not even a note. You wouldn’t answer my calls or see me. Why… why did you do that?”

“I didn’t want to prolong the inevitable,” she said. “I could feel you distancing yourself from me, keeping secrets. I figured you didn’t know how to do it so I did it for you.”

“How to do what?” he asked.

“To break up with me.”

“What? Tamora, I…” he trailed off as the true reality of their relationship’s demise came crashing down on him. “I wasn’t going to break up with you. I was going to propose.”

“What?”

“I’ve always been lousy at keeping secrets, especially from you, and I was worried I’d let it slip. That’s why I wasn’t spending as much time with you,” he said. “The day you left was the day it was all supposed to happen. But then I got home from work and you were just… _gone_.”

“Oh, Felix,” she said. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered under his breath. “I drove myself crazy for weeks trying to figure out what I had done to make you stop loving me. I left my door unlocked every night because I was delusional enough to think that maybe you would come back. Come _home_. And the whole time, you thought that I didn’t want to be with you anymore.”

He paused, breathing deeply in an attempt to cover the hurt in his voice when he spoke again.

“How could you ever think that?”

“It wasn’t you. It was me,” she replied. “I never understood why you wanted to be with me in the first place. When I felt you pulling away, I thought you had finally come to your senses and realized how much better off you would be without me.”

“Better? Tamora, my life was never better than when I was with you,” he said. “You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met, and you deserve to be happy and to feel loved. If you let me, I’d spend the rest of my life giving you the love you deserve.”

“Don’t say that, it’s not fair.”

“Nothing about this is fair!” he said, struggling to keep his voice down in the crowded room. “You are the only woman I’ve ever loved and I lost you all because of a simple misunderstanding.”

“Felix—”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m being unfair,” he said with a calming deep breath. “It’s all over now. There’s no use getting all worked up over what might have been. It doesn’t matter.”

 _But it does matter_ , she thought.

“You have someone new and you’re happy and that’s what’s most important to me,” he said. “I let myself forget that part of loving someone is knowing when it’s time to let go.”

“But Felix, I—”

“Looks like someone’s waiting for you,” he said, nodding toward the other side of the room where her date was not-so-discreetly checking his watch. “It was good to see you, Tamora.”

Against his better judgment and with her new boyfriend watching, he leaned up to give her a quick peck on the cheek before walking away. He didn’t turn back to see the way Tamora was still looking at him as he found his way back to Ralph or the way her date had to take her hand to get her attention. Everything came crashing down on him at once, and all he wanted was to go home where he could be alone with his feelings.

“You doin’ okay there, Felix?” Ralph asked, seeing right through the fake smile that was plastered onto his friend’s face. Felix sighed and dropped the act.

“I think I ought to call it a night,” he replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ralph.”

Hours later, Felix sat at his kitchen table with his chin in his hand, grappling with his thoughts. He would have loved nothing more than to give himself over to sleep, where he might have a chance to escape these feelings in his dreams, but his mind and heart could not be quieted. It brought him a small sense of comfort to know that Tamora had only left him because she thought it was what he wanted, not because he had done something to drive her away. But it made his chest ache to know that, as hard as he tried, he hadn’t done enough to make sure she knew how much he loved her. To think that he would never have the chance to make up for it only drove the knife further into his heart.

The doorknob turned, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up, expecting to see Ralph coming inside to check on him. He was totally unprepared for the figure who stood in his doorway, and he stood from the table and stepped closer to make certain that his eyes had not deceived him.

“…Tamora?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

She ignored his question as she closed the door behind her, her fingers toying with the lock.

“You left the door unlocked.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You snuck out of the party pretty early,” she said. “That’s not like you.”

“I wasn’t feeling up to a night on the dance floor,” he replied. “I needed some time to myself.”

“Are you alright?”

He nodded, and there was a silence between them for a moment.

“Tamora,” he began, her full name sounding stiff coming out of his mouth, “Why did you come here tonight?”

“I hate it when you say my name like that,” she said, continuing to ignore his questions.

“Like what?”

“So formal. Like we’re business associates or something,” she said.

“I…I can’t say it any other way,” he said. “Not without falling back into old habits. Habits I don’t have a right to anymore.”

Tamora saw the pain in his eyes as he looked away from her and crossed his arms protectively over his chest. Seeing him that way ignited something deep within her, and she strode up to him, grabbed him by the shirt, and forced her lips onto his. Everything about it felt so familiar to Felix that he didn’t even try to resist, and he buried his fingers in her hair as he deepened the kiss. Once the initial shock wore off, his heartache settled back in, and he pulled away from her.

“Wait,” he said. “We can’t do this. You’re with someone else now.”

“Felix, it’s okay,” she replied.

“No, it’s not,” he said firmly. “If someone was unfaithful to me, I would be devastated. I can’t do that to someone else.”

“Just listen—”

“No,” he said. “I’m not strong enough to say no to you. I need you to think about your relationship and what this would do to him and stop this. I could never forgive myself if I—”

“It’s over between us,” she cut in. “I broke up with him.”

“You did?” he asked, stunned. “When? You were just together at the—”

“Just as soon as you walked away,” she answered. “Then I came straight here.”

“Tamora…” he said, trailing off as he struggled to process these events. His heart had been put through the wringer tonight, and he could hardly keep up.

She gripped the front of his shirt in her fist and yanked him flush against her.

“I don’t ever want to hear you say my name like that again,” she growled under her breath.

She pulled him to her in a forceful kiss and pushed him back against the door. All logic flew out the window as he gave in and kissed her back. He knew it all so well—the feel of that soft velvet under his fingers as he explored her body, the lips he could melt right into. Whether it was right or wrong to be with her like this tonight, he didn’t care. He had spent the last year longing to hold her in his arms again and now that she was here, he planned to make the most of it.

“I love you,” he blurted out as he pulled away for air. Everything came to a stop—the only sound in the room was their heavy breathing as they locked eyes. “I still love you. I never stopped.”

“Neither did I.”

Just like that, their passion was reignited. The rest of the world disappeared; all that existed was their connection. Tonight wasn’t about their heartbreak. It was about love. Whatever tomorrow would bring was unimportant; all they had was the here and now, and as they disappeared into Felix’s bedroom, it was all they needed.

* * *

It was still early when Felix began to stir. Despite his late night, he felt more well-rested than he had in months. Once he cracked his eyes open and saw Tamora in bed with him, he quickly understood why. 

“Hey,” she whispered as his eyes fluttered open.

“Hi,” he mumbled back.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings, and as soon his eyes landed on the purple marks on Tamora’s neck, all the memories from last night came flooding in. 

“You’re still here,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if you would be.”

“Did you think I was going to skip out on you?” she asked.

“I dunno, I guess I just…” he paused, unsure how best to voice his thoughts. “I wasn’t sure what all this was for you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, you just went through a breakup. The moment you showed up here last night, I had to face the possibility that this was just a rebound,” he said. “If you decide to go back to him, I’ll understand.”

“Felix, I meant everything I said last night,” she said. “It’s over between us. I told him the truth, that I couldn’t be with him because I’m still in love with you.”

“You did?” he asked. He could feel his heart pounding in response; he had spent quite some time longing to hear those words from her. “So does that mean… Do you want us to—"

“I want to try again,” she said. “If you can ever forgive me and give me another chance.”

“Of course I forgive you,” he replied. “All I’ve wanted since the day you left was to be with you again.”

Overcome with emotion, he pressed his lips to hers. He had been afraid that last night was nothing more than a bout of passion not meant to last, but even here in the light of day, he could feel the power of their connection.

“Tammy?” he murmured against her lips. “Before we do this, I think we ought to talk about what we want out of this relationship.”

“Okay,” she replied. “Why don’t you start?”

“Well, I think maybe we should take things slow at first,” he said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been together and we have a lot of catching up to do. Before we dive right in, I want to take you out on dates and get to know you again.”

“I can work with that,” she said with a smile.

“A-and I—” he cut himself off with a gulp. “I still have every intention of proposing to you. Not anytime soon, but I want to be married to you someday. Before I put my heart on the line again, I need to know that you’re open to that.”

“I am,” she answered. “The idea used to scare me, but now I know what I want.”

“And what’s that?”

“To spend my life with you.”

“Tammy, I…” he looked into her eyes, struggling to find the right words to articulate his feelings. “I’ve waited so long to hear you say that.”

He leaned in to kiss her.

“I love you so much,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry you ever had to doubt that. Now that I’ve got another chance, I promise to show you every single day just how much you mean to me.”

“You don’t need to show me anything,” she said. “You were never the problem. You were always telling me how much you loved me, but my brain didn’t want to believe it.”

“I just can’t help feelin’ like I could’ve done more,” he said with a frown.

“Hey. Look at me,” she said. “You spent every day we were together doing everything you could to show me that I mattered to you. None of what happened was your fault.”

“Okay,” he replied, although it was obvious that he was reluctant to agree. “But if you ever need more, even if you feel like you just need to hear me say it, all you have to do is say so. You know I’ll give you anything you want.”

“I know,” she said.

“Can we make a deal?” he asked. “I promise not to blame myself when your mind is workin’ against you, as long as you promise to tell me when your needs aren’t being met.”

He extended his pinky finger toward her and smiled at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes and smiled, interlocking her pinky with his.

“I promise.”

“Alright, then there’s just one more question to be asked,” he said.

“Which is?”

“Tamora Jean, can I take you on a date tonight?”

She took a pause to soak in this moment. Just last night they thought their relationship was over for good, and now they were here, warm and cozy in bed as they shared their feelings. They were getting a fresh start, and they vowed not to take this second chance for granted. With a smile, she answered his question.

“I would love that.”


End file.
